Know Thy Enemy: Revs at Montreal Vrioni's Revenge Edition
The Foot Clan have struggled to make an impact in the East this year, but an old friend is doing pretty well for them in 2025.
The New England Revolution wrap up a three-game road trip against FC Montreal in Stade Saputo tonight at 730 PM EDT on MLS Season Pass.
After giving away two leads in draws against Sporting KC and D.C. United, the Revs would like to head into the international break on a winning note against the last-place side in the Eastern Conference, who have one win and eight total points on the year.
Despite their place in the standings, former Revs striker Giacomo Vrioni who was traded in the offseason has started to see some regular minutes in the last month after recovering from an injury. Vrioni has three goals in 300+ minutes of MLS action and this thunderbastard against Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship at the end of April (5:40 mark of the video):
So while Montreal is indeed bad, between Vrioni and Prince Owusu, they are dangerous and held LAFC to a 2-2 draw a week ago, a game Montreal probably thinks they should’ve won at home given they were up 2-0 before the half hour. That was the same weekend the Revs had to claw back late against SKC after being up 2-0 as well.
Now, while no one was really expecting Montreal to be a playoff contender this year, the Revs are still trying to make good on last year’s promise. And dropping four points against two 13th place teams is not helping.
Last year the Revs breakout game was against Montreal in a 5-0 pasting that we thought was going to get them out of a second half of the year funk after getting bounced from the Leagues Cup. It did not, the Revs won only one game the rest of the way and only three times in MLS play from July-October in 2024.
The Montreal game in question featured two quick goals from Bobby Wood to start before a flurry of late goals from Nick Lima, Vrioni, and Luca Langoni to round out the scoresheet. A wonderful late game habit of scoring goals that I wish the current Revs would do more of while they are leading.
I understand the Revs have played a road-heavy slate so far, I understand the bench is thin due to injuries, and I also understand that an MLS playoff team should not blow two leads against teams currently in the bottom three of their respective conferences.
Without a win today it’s going to be time to starting asking very important questions…like if Caleb Porter hasn’t learned his team is bad at sitting back and defending in the last eighteen months, when is he going to? If Jackson Yueill can’t get sub minutes while up 1-0 against D.C., when is he going to play? Cause it’s been 8 straight MLS games as a DNP if I’ve done the math right and as much as I love Matt Polster’s attack starting plays, he should get a breather every now and again, especially when he’s been on a yellow card since the 23rd minute like he was against DC.
I know the Revs are adjusting to a new formation very much on the fly and are having a lot of success and growing pains at the same time and I think there are far more positives than there are negatives during their current unbeaten run. But this is a results business and I don’t think it’s unfair to think the Revs should be getting a minimum of seven points from SKC/DC/MTL this week. Right now they’re looking at a maximum of five IF they win today, which at this point is far from guaranteed.
New England needs to remain on the front foot in games, as great as the improvements have been defensively, it is too hard to sit back and defend for 10-15 minutes and stoppage time in MLS. The best way to relieve pressure is for the Revs to attack, to continue to look for that second goal - it worked for them in 2021 where they won a lot of one goal games but spent a lot of time in the closing minutes getting good looks and trying to get another goal.
It’s a lot easier to defend when you have the other ball 75 yards away threatening the other team’s goal. Too often Porter’s team is reverting back to its possession system that failed miserably last year and his team is getting punished for not being able to relieve that pressure in their own defensive half. Porter needs to be far more aggressive with his subs, doubly so during a short week in my opinion, and trust the players on his bench to perform.
If Eric Klein is the last attacker you have available and you’re in need of a counter attack, I’m sure he can try and chase down a few long balls for you instead of watching your tired back seven wilt down the stretch cause the outlet passes upfield have broken down. Just a thought…just a playful thought…
Here with more thoughts is our good friend Tom Nightingale of Canada Soccer Daily with as much positivity as he can find about Montreal and Giacomo Vrioni. No questions for me this week but be sure to head on over to their site for their game coverage as well.
TBM: Giacomi Vrioni has scored three league goals in very limited minutes, what was the overall feeling on the offseason trade that sent him from New England to Montreal and how has he been playing when he is on the field?
You have to wonder where Montreal would be right now had Vrioni been fit from the start, because I'd suggest it's highly unlikely it would be bottom of the East. Not only is he averaging a goal every 91 minutes, he's scoring all kinds of goals: a stunning overhead kick vs. Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship, a neat effort vs. LAFC when he rolled his marker and finished well across Hugo Lloris, and poacher's goals vs. Philadelphia and TFC in the league. Montreal do not spend much money and do not go big on DP signings, but Vrioni's impact suggests they may have got this one right. He's far from perfect as an attacker but he scores goals, he links up well with teammates, and perhaps most importantly, Montreal feel far more dangerous with him on the field than off it. For tight-fisted clubs like this one, it's hard to put a price on that.
TBM: Montreal had a rough go in Miami midweek, but aside from a blowout loss to rivals Toronto they've been in a lot of games recently. Briefly go over some of your recent matches and a player or two that has been a standout or unheralded for Montreal so far this year?
TN: When you've lost 10 games already this season and won just once, positivity doesn't exactly flow from a faucet. But Montreal are not as bad as the standings suggest, that's for sure. Defensive lapses and a rather soft center are what has killed them so far. Putting two goals past each of LAFC and Inter Miami in the last two games shows the kind of threat they can pose, but some of the goals they conceded in that pair of tough games (even accounting for Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez's quality) is indicative of the root of their troubles.
Interim head coach Marco Donadel (yes, they fired another one) insisted this week the team can still make the playoffs. A pinch of salt with that one, I think, but it's not an impossibility. Given the Revs have the best defence in the East and CFM have the worst attack, kickstarting that push with a win on Saturday is a tall order. Vrioni and Prince Owusu have shown some flickers of being a decent pair in attack, but Vrioni will need help from promising supporting stars including the likes of Dante Sealy, who had a stellar attacking game in Miami in midweek.
TBM: I know hanging out in the Eastern Conference basement isn't fun, are there any major moves planned or rumored for the summer? Is there a position of need that could be fixed to immediately help Montreal in the second half of the year?
TN: Montreal need all the help they can get, I would suggest. But, as alluded to earlier, CEO Gabriel Gervais and the Saputo family don't like to spend the cash if they can help it. One or two pieces may arrive this summer, but don't expect anything game-changing. More likely, the focus will be on coaxing the best out of what's already on the training field and seeing where things lie come October. We await the annual review this fall with baited breath.
Injuries: Light in midfield/attack with Bryce Duke, Fabian Herbers, Dominic Iankov, and young Ukrainian talent Hennadii Synchuk all missing out in midweek.
Prediction: Montreal 1-2 New England
Amen! Porter has never shown that he knows how and when to sub, he just doesn't seem to SEE that his players are gassed.